President Donald Trump is reportedly renewing his effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her position, months after the Supreme Court blocked his initial attempt and allowed her to remain on the Federal Reserve Board while legal proceedings continue.
According to a letter dated Wednesday from White House presidential aide Dan Scavino, the president is once again considering Cook’s removal. A copy of the letter, obtained by The Hill, states that Trump believes there is sufficient reason to question statements Cook made in connection with mortgage agreements.
The letter, first reported by ABC News, says there is “sufficient reason to believe that you made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.”
It also directs Cook to provide a written response explaining the alleged false statements and to submit any supporting evidence within three weeks.
The latest development marks another chapter in the dispute that began last August, when Trump first sought to remove Cook from the Federal Reserve over allegations involving mortgage fraud. The move followed a referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who alleged that Cook improperly designated properties she owned in Michigan and Georgia as primary residences in order to obtain more favorable financing terms.
Cook has consistently denied the allegations and challenged the effort to remove her from office. She argued that Trump’s actions were driven by frustration with the Federal Reserve, particularly its unwillingness to lower interest rates as quickly as he wanted.
The legal battle ultimately reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in June that Cook could remain in her position while the case proceeds. The decision did not determine whether the allegations against Cook were valid but instead focused on the legal process surrounding her attempted removal.
Writing for the Court, Chief Justice John Roberts said Trump had not provided Cook with sufficient due process to contest the allegations before attempting to remove her from office. At the same time, Roberts noted that the question of whether Cook could ultimately be removed for cause would depend on the facts established during the case.
“In this opinion, we have not addressed the facts, as they have yet to be found or analyzed under the relevant legal standards,” Roberts wrote at the time. “Rather, we have simply addressed the parties’ arguments about the appropriate legal standards under which the facts must be evaluated.”
The ruling left open the possibility that Cook could be removed if the legal standard for doing so is ultimately met after the underlying facts are fully examined.
Following the latest letter from the White House, Cook’s legal team vowed to continue defending her position on the Federal Reserve Board and criticized the renewed effort as unfounded.
In a statement, her attorneys said they intend to fight “this latest pretext and preserve her position and the historic role of the Fed.”
The legal team also rejected the allegations outright, arguing they are no more credible than when they were first raised a year earlier.
“These allegations are as baseless now as they were a year ago when President Trump tried to remove Governor Cook and interfere with the independence of the Federal Reserve,” the statement said. “No matter what President Trump tries to do next, this much is clear under the facts and Supreme Court precedent – there is no valid cause for removing Governor Cook.”
The Hill reported that it reached out to the White House for comment regarding the renewed effort. The Federal Reserve declined to comment on the matter.
